Here are a list of Hotels, what they offer and most importantly, the price:

1 Afternoon De-Light: organic, low-fat and health-conscious

Where: The Metropolitan Hotel, Mayfair

How much: £24. Eco-tinis and mock-tinis extra

2 Mens’ Afternoon Tea: more meaty, savoury selections aimed at men

Where: The Mandeville Hotel, Marylebone

How much: £22.50; wiskey option £30

3 Brunello Chocolate Afternoon Tea: chocoholics dream

Where: Baglioni Hotel, Kensington

How much: £28; £36 with glass of champagne

To book: 020 7368 5700

4 Laduree Afternoon Tea: famous French macaroons and patisseries

Where: The Athenaeum Hotel, Picadilly

How much: £40 including a glass of Laduree rose champagne

5 Afternoon Beats: sip tea to live jazz music

Where: Swissotel The Howard,

How much: £30 including a glass of house champagne

To book: 020 7836 3555

Social Bookmark to:

• The shape - eg empire line or strapless etc, etc
• How many layers of fabric? - is there an underskirt?
• Details such as embroidary, type of train or whether it requires a bodice? Bodice work will push up the price - but all ready-to-wear wedding dresses that have bodices are expensive anyway!

Also - always keep your paperwork - dressmakers work with so many brides it is hard for them to keep track of the cost.
 
The fabric makes a big difference to your costs.  London has a fabulous selection of materials. The quality is superior and the fabric shops will help you with getting the right colour for your skin tone.

Social Bookmark to:

What do you do when you celebrate your wedding on a day other than when you legally get married. I’m having the same dilemma as we got registered this friday but we will have the celebrations a year later. 

I found this invitation wording on a cards catalogue and thought it would be most appropriate:

Bride and Groom 

were united in marriage 

on 8th of August 2008

at Southwark Register

Please join them as they celebrate their vows on Saturday, 8th of August 2009 at 12.00 PM at Central London X Location. 

Also… how to deal with annoying people

My other rant for the day is that I saw my fiance’s stingy friend had texted him to say “You should do something this year otherwise you lose the special feeling and next year - technically supplies cant over charge you as its not a proper wedding its your 1st anniversary. So good result.” URGGGGGHGGHGHGHGHG i hate when people get so money minded and start calculating our wedding. She didnt throw an engagement party at all and then wants us to throw one when we just did a big celebration in India. My fiance’s diplomatic reply “Thanks!” I’m becoming such a bridezilla that these comments are getting to me. I need to relax. I think next time she says something along these lines, I’ll say “maybe.”

Social Bookmark to:

The funny ones are the ones where the bride and groom dolls are doing something funny. But I dont know how that would go down on my in-laws, especially if they dont get the joke! 

This one called “Gone Fishing” is actually one of the most popular! I’d re-name is “The Catch”

Is this a bit too risque? Who cares, its your day and cake will be eaten regardless of what is on top!

As a compromise, something elegant like this might be more appropriate:

Social Bookmark to:

For an oriental twist, try Chinese lanterns. They come in different sizes but the smaller ones mixed with some bigger ones would look very cool:

Social Bookmark to:

Whilst I was in Dubai, I saw some Chinese traders selling artificial hanging flowers. I know they sound tacky but they actually dont look too bad. They are cheap at 10 pounds a piece but shipping could be problematic as they are quite bulky. I also didnt get a chance to weigh them since they were hanging two or three feet above me. 

If you wanted to stick to real flowers, this is a sweet arrangement:

Or this is another way to arrange hanging flowers if you are having the ceremony outside.

Social Bookmark to:

Anyways, I thought I’d write a note about how it work so that other couples will know what to expect. First, we arrived 40 minutes early to Southwark Council. They asked us to arrive 10-15 minutes before the stated time on the Notice of Marriage certificate they give you but we arrived earlier to avoid traffic and other stressful events. 

I got a little stressed out earlier when I read the notice and it says I need to call a certain number to get the authority. But when I called the Council they said this is only necessary if you marry in a council other than the one you are registered in. Phew!

Back to the Register: They made us wait almost an hour because there was a problem with the system. My fiance once worked for a Council when he was younger and he sad they are so inefficient that he wasnt suprised. They explained that there were a lot of communities that also observed the lucky number 8 such as the Philipino and the Vietnamese community so they had to schedule them in as well. I was a bit suprised to hear this because when we went last month to register our intention to get married that day, there was no one for that period. I guess there was a mad rush a few weeks later. Im glad to have booked early. 

First the Assistant Register calls the bride and groom and asks us questions to see that all the details about our names, age, home address still matches. This is very important because they need to make sure all information is correct on the day of the legal registration. They use a really fancy pen and hand write all details again on a piece of paper. They also ask additional questions about the bride and groom’s father and even his occupation. I dont understand why they hand write it, it would be more efficient to just type or print it out. I guess they have to justify the fee (£135 pounds) that they charge. 

Then they bring the guests inside and the Register makes a speech, asking if anyone has any objections or knows of any legal impediments why the two should be joined in matrimony blah blah blah. Then she asks us each to repeat a long sentence on how we take each other as spouses to love and cherish. She asks us then to exchange rings a traditional way to exchange the contract. We only had one ring as my fiance doesnt like to wear a ring. My future mother in law shouted at me the night before because we didnt buy a ring. Earlier, she suggested that we borrow her husbands and then when we asked her for her husband’s ring, she said its bad in Chinese culture and that it means my husband will take another wife. We tried to go buy a ring but everything was closed. So I’ve decided I’ll buy him a ring later and exchange it at the ceremony we plan next year. 

It can get quite emotional when you are asked to repeat your vows so keep a tissue handy. Also they allow photography and video. Our memory card was full (just out luck) so make sure everything recharged and clear before. 

Then they ask for the two witnesses to sign. 

Afterwards, they let us into the Garden room for photos. The ceremony takes around 15 minutes in total and they let you take photos for as long as you like. 

Social Bookmark to:

So lesson learnt, just say its for a special event or for a friend, dont say wedding because they obviously think its an excuse to bump up the price. Grrrrrr….

As for me, I went to Marks and Spencers and bought a bunch of 11 roses in lilac, cream and pink. I think it will look lovely and I have made my own bonquet by cutting the stems and wrapping the ends in cling film and then ribbons. It only costs 8 pounds. There were some cheaper roses at other supermarkets but these are the ones that are one colour and much smaller. 

My fiance’s friend who managed to squeeze a wedding into 5,000 pounds (a miracle by London standards) also recommended the New Covent Garden Market for flowers whole sale. At the price that London florists are charging, I think I’ll be at that market next year. 

Social Bookmark to:

Here are some of the ring cushions I’ve found. 

This one is quite pricey at almost £50 ($100). Its a golden waterlilly and would perfectly match my gold theme (sigh!)

But my absolute favourite is: 

These ring cushions costs about $25 in the US but £20 in UK. I’m really sick of how everything is double expensive here! Maybe I should do the smart thing and go to NY like another friend of mine. She says she’s visiting a shop called Kleinfields which is famous for bridal stuff. 
If you wanted to save costs, just use the ring box which your fiance presented your ring in. Mine is a wooden one which looks quite nice so maybe I’ll just get my little cousin to carry the ring in that. Theres also more of a chance he wont damage its quite protected even if he drops it. 

Social Bookmark to:

For a more gold theme: 

Most ribbon companies sell these ribbons for a pricey £2 a meter. In that case, I suggest going for bulk orders of around 50 meters because you’ll have enough for 125 guests (what Im aiming for) and if you have extra, you can use it to wrap Christmas presents. When I was at the Dragon Mart in Dubai, they were selling ribbons which were 10 meters long for about £2 which is a really good deal. Perhaps I can get a cousin to mail them form Hong Kong since you get much better value for money. 

The wedding shop Confetti recommends ‘for a sophisticated touch, tie stain or chiffon ribbon around a crisp white napkin and add feathers or trims for extra decoration’

My fiance also suggested personalised ribbons. These would be more expensive but adds a very personal touch:

I know they are used here for favour boxes but surely you can wrap your napkins in them too. 

On another note (literally) is it just me or does anyone else like listening to wedding music when they are researching wedding stuff? Try it - it will get you in the mood!

Social Bookmark to: